Spring anchoring means for oven doors



April 3, 1951 H. M. REEVES 2,547,172

SPRING ANCHORING MEANS FOR OVEN DOORS 4 Filed April 6, 1948 (BTTOQIQEYJ Patented Apr. 3, 1951 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING ANCHORING MEANS FOR OVEN DOORS Herbert M. Reeves, Kankakee, Ill., assignor to Florence Stove Company, Gardner, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 6, 1948, Serial No. 19,388

7 4 Claims. 1

The invention relates generally to cookstove oven doors of the spring counterbalanced type and more particularly to improved means for anchoring the counterbalance spring to the stove frame.

One object of the invention is to provide anchoring means for counterbalance springs of the above general character which materiall simplifies installation and reduces the labor involved in installing oven doors in stoves.

A more specific object is to provide improved means by' which the powerful counterbalance spring of an oven door while under heavy tension may be anchored to the stove frame very quickly and easily and without exposing the installer to the danger of injury due to accidental release or slipping of the spring during such installation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the improved counterbalance spring anchoring means is applied to a cookstove, the cookstove being shown fragmentarily.

Fig 2 is a horizontal sectional View of the stove taken in a plane substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. r n

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the stove taken in a plane substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

For purposes of illustration, the invention-has been shown as embodied in a cookstove having an oven compartment closed by a door 5. The door is pivotally supported to swing about a horizontal axis on the stove frame, of which a side member 6, front member 1, side panel 8 and front 'panel 9 are shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. Pivotal support for the door is provided by hinges I 0, one at each side of the door.

The weight of the door is counterbalanced by a contractile spring ll connected; between the stove frame and an arm l2 rigid jfwith and projecting inwardly and downwardly-from the rear face of the door. In the particular stove illusheavy as they are commonly constructed of sheet metal and are usually packed with insulatin material to reduce heat losses. Moreover, structural considerations usually require that the spring be anchored to the door relatively close to its pivotal axis. The counterbalancing of such doors accordingly necessitates the use of a powerful counterbalance spring. In order to function properly the spring must be under tension and effective when. the door is closed to exert a substantial force thereon tending to maintain it in closed position. The heavy character of the spring and the fact that it must be anchored in place while under tension makes installation extremely difficult and, since the spring is usually located within a confined space, it subjects the installer to considerable danger of injury from accidental slipping of the tensioned spring in the course of installation.

The foregoing difficulties and dangers are effectually eliminated by the improved anchoring means which provides means by which the spring may be fastened to the stove door and frame while in a contracted condition and subsequently tensioned to the degree required for the performance of its'counterbalancing function. The fastening means in its preferred form includes a lever IE to which the other end of the spring II is suitably attached. The lever i5 is fulcrumed at one end to the stove frame whereby it ma be rocked in a direction to tension the spring I l and then releasably latched to the stove frame in a position to maintain the spring under tension.

In the exemplary embodiment, the lever it, which is shown as an elongated cylindrical rod, is fulcrumed on the side member 6 of the frame,

in this instance in an aperture [6 provided therein for receiving the end of the lever. Additional apertures 16d and lfib spaced vertically from the aperture 16 provide alternately available fulcrums for the lever whereby the tensioning of the spring may be varied when required. Preferably, the end portion of the rod is bent over to form a hook-like abutment I1 effective to prevent withdrawal of the lever from the aperture when the spring I I is under tension.

7 To prevent the spring l I from slipping along the lever as it is rocked .upon its fulcrum, the lever may be formed with a bent or offset portion l8 engageable by a hook l9 formed on the end of the spring. In practice the offset portion 18 of the lever, that is, the point of connection with the spring II, is located relatively close to the fulcrum point, thus providing a leverage ratio such that the necessary tension may be applied to the spring with a minimum of effort.

To complete the anchoring of the spring to the frame, provision is made for releasably latching the free end of the lever [5 in operated position. The latching means as herein shown comprises a latch lug 2G rigid with and projecting rearwardly and downwardly from the front frame member I. The latch lug is positioned to engage over the free end of the lever I5 when. the latter is depressed and to prevent accidental release of the lever when so engaged.

It will be apparent that the. improved spring anchoring means greatly facilitates the installation of the counterbalance spring I l on the stove. After the door is installed on the stove frame, one end of the spring H is hooked onto the arm. 12 and the other is hooked over the lever l5. The end of the lever I5 is inserted in an appropriate one of the fulcrum apertures 16, 16c or lfib, and the other end is rocked downwardly to tension the spring and then forwardly to engage it under the latch lug 28. Tensioning of the spring may be effected with a minimum of effort by reason of the favorable leverage ratio provided. This is particularly advantageous in view of the confined space within which the spring and associated parts must be installed. Moreover, since the spring is hooked to the cooperating parts before it is placed under tension, the installer is not exposed to injury from accidental release or slipping of the spring inthe course of its installation.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a stove, the combination of a frame, a door pivotally supported on said frame to swing about a horizontal axis, counterbalanci-ng means for said door including an elongated contractile spring anchored at one end to the door, and means for anchoring the other end of said spring to the stove frame comprising a lever fulcrumed at one end on said frame and having the other end releasably secured to the frame, said spring being secured to said lever closely adjacent its fulcrum to facilitate tensioning of the spring while it is being anchored to the frame.

2. In a stove having a frame including side 4 and front frame members, a door pivotally supported on said frame to swing about a horizontal axis, a counterbalance spring connected at one end to said door, and means for tensioning said spring and for anchoring its other end to the frame, said means comprising a lever having means adjacent one end. for the. attachment of said. other end of the spring, one of said frame members having an aperture adapted to receive the said one end of the lever to provide a fulcrum therefor, and latch means on the other frame member engageable with the other end of of said lever to hold it in spring tensioning position.

3; In a stove having a frame including front and side members, a door pivotally supported on said frame to swing about a horizontal axis, a counterbalance spring anchored at one end to said door, an elongated lever having an oifset portion adjacent one end for attachment of the other end of said spring, said lever having a fulcrum on one of said side members about which it may be rocked to tension said spring, and a latch element projecting inwardly fromsaid front frame member for releasably retaining the other end of said lever in spring tensioning position.

4. In a stove having a frame, the combination of a door pivotally supported on the frame to swing about a horizontal axis, counterbalanci'ng means for said door including an elongated contractile spring anchored at one end to the door, and means for anchoring the otherend of said spring to the stove frame comprising a lever connected with said spring intermediate the ends of the lever, one end of the lever being fulcrumed on the frame and the other end releasably secured to the frame.

HERBERT M. REEVES,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 88,625 Gilfillan Apr. 6, 1869 1,568,357 Walker Jan. 5, 1926 1,745,709 Pickup Feb. 4, 1.930 1,969,197 Barker Aug. 7, 1934 2,063,376 Hausser Dec. '8, 1936 

